


Travels in an infinite universe

by Mialienes



Category: Super Junior, Super Junior-M
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, M/M, Space Bounty Hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-16 17:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2279163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mialienes/pseuds/Mialienes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an infinite universe, there are infinite possibilities. In just one of those possibilities, Zhou Mi meets Kyuhyun.</p><p>Written for the <a href="http://qmidayeveryday.livejournal.com/">QMidayeveryday</a> fic exchange for hyunbiased.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Travels in an infinite universe

After all this time, he's been found. 

Despite the immense vastness of the entire universe, Zhou Mi has been found. 

Zhou Mi watches his ship's control screen and tries not to tremble, not even realising he's clutching the arms of his chair. 

The screen shows that there's another ship fast approaching. This deep in space - with the vast distances between galaxies - it's rare to come across other craft, and this upcoming meeting is no coincidence. It can only be the Undonians, and they won't be after small talk and a cup of tea. No, Zhou Mi owes Urk a debt, and now it's time to pay up. 

Except, Zhou Mi can't pay. 

"Heechul?" Zhou Mi calls to his AI. He doesn't need to say anymore, Heechul is intelligent enough to decipher the question, and his voice echoes flatly through the speakers. 

"They'll be here in five. We can't evade them."

Zhou Mi takes his eye off the control screen, looking out the large front window of his ship, Loach. Right now all he can see is the inky blue of space, interspersed with pinpricks of light from distant stars, but soon that emptiness in front of his window will be filled with the hulking mass of the Undonian craft. 

It's a magnificent ship - Zhou Mi has seen it before and he knows that his lumbering cargo ship won't stand a chance in a fight or a race. The Undonian craft is huge, at least twenty times the size of Loach, but still elegant and streamlined. It's constructed with the latest technology and carries a huge amount of weaponry that could destroy Loach with little effort. With one press of his smallest claw, Urk could annihilate them and not even raise a sweat. 

There's no point in running any more. They've been tracked across the universe and it's obvious that there's nowhere left to go. Zhou Mi heaves a quiet sigh and resolves to accept his fate. 

"Where's Zitao and Sehun?" Zhou Mi asks Heechul. Even if he can't get out of this alive, perhaps he can save them. He _hopes_ he can save them. 

"In their room." 

"Lock their door," Zhou Mi tells Heechul. "That's a command," he adds, just to be clear. Heechul, the ship's AI, has a habit of ignoring Zhou Mi's requests unless they're framed as orders, a result of a malfunction in his personality chip. Most AIs are programmed to be pleasant and helpful, but somehow Zhou Mi has ended up with the only AI in the entire universe that's disobedient, intractable and often just plain rude. 

Not that Zhou Mi really minds. Despite Heechul's flaws, he's never considered having him reprogrammed or a new personality chip fitted. There had been years when it was just himself and Heechul, and that spark of personality in his AI had made Zhou Mi feel less alone. 

"Yes, Captain." Heechul replies huffily, just as the entire ship jolts, a jerking motion so violent that Zhou Mi almost falls off his chair. "Coupling connection established. They'll board in two." 

Time is up. Zhou Mi lays his hands in his lap and swivels his chair around to face the entrance to the airlock. Despite everything that's happened, Zhou Mi still has hope, and right now he hopes that the encounter will be quick - and not too painful. 

 

∞

 

Unfortunately Zhou Mi is not so lucky. 

He does his best to ignore the pain radiating from his cheek, but hIs normally gold skin has faded to a sickly pale yellow. Urk's lackeys tower over him, claws gripping his upper arms so tightly there will be bruises later. 

"It's time to pay up, Xiao Mi," Urk growls, glaring down his knobbly snout at Zhou Mi and idly rubbing his knuckles. "I want my money."

"You'll get it," Zhou Mi promises, swallowing nervously, the ring around his pupils flashing a murky grey green. He flinches as Urk reaches out for his chin, holding it tight in his claws. "Please," he chokes out. "I just need a bit more time." 

"Time, time, time. That's what everyone asks for. But we'd agreed on a date for repayment, and your time is up." 

Fear crashes over Zhou Mi, waves and waves of it. He'd known - _known_ \- when he'd borrowed from Urk that this could be the end result, but what choice had he had? 

"But you know what, I'm feeling kind today," Urk continues. "Because I like you, and because you beg so _prettily_ , I'm willing to give you another six months." Urk pulls out a knife, the blade glinting underneath the lights and his grin showing off his needle-like teeth. "But I'm going to take an installment."

 

∞

 

Zhou Mi presses his shirt tightly to the wound on his hand, cradling it against his chest, trying to stem the bleeding. Urk has left, taking his crew with him, but not before telling Zhou Mi firmly, "Six months. That's it. Next time I'll take more." 

Zhou Mi croaks out an order for Heechul to unlock the door to Zitao's room and then slumps back in his chair. It fucking _hurts_. 

Its not long before Zhou Mi's brother comes running up, so upset he can barely speak. Heechul must've told him what had happened - the traitor. 

"Ge..." Zitao sputters, fluttering around helplessly before sinking to a crouch in front of him. "What? Are you-?"

"It's okay," Zhou Mi says reassuringly, even as his head swims. "I'm okay. It's not as bad as it looks." 

Sehun follows with a first aid kit, pushing Zitao out of the way and directing him to sit down and be quiet. Sehun removes the shirt pressed to Zhou Mi's hand, exhaling with a puff when he sees the damage. 

"At least it was a clean cut," Zhou Mi jokes weakly. "And it was only my little finger, I didn't need it anyway." 

"Don't talk," Sehun snaps at him, so stern and unlike his usual mellow nature that Zhou Mi automatically shuts up. "Save your energy. Can you stand up?"

Sehun helps him walk to the bathroom, where they rinse Zhou Mi's hand in the sink, before Sehun bandages it up tightly. 

It looks okay once it's all clean and wrapped up, like it never happened, Zhou Mi thinks. But then he gives it an experimental squeeze through the gauze and it sends pain shooting through him. He gasps and only just manages to stop himself from throwing up. 

Zitao hands over a couple of painkillers and lifts a cup of water to his lips, helping him drink. "How much money do you owe?" Zitao asks in a tiny voice as he sets the cup aside. He's almost as tall as his brother, shoulders about as broad, but at the moment he looks just like the small child that used to follow Zhou Mi like a duckling when they were younger. Zhou Mi pets his hair gently with his uninjured hand, trying to reassure him. 

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out."

Zhou Mi closes his eyes and suddenly it's all too much. He owes Urk over a million galeks, more than he can possibly earn just doing deliveries. It's an impossible amount. Six months? What is he going to do? He doesn't want to involve Zitao and Sehun, he doesn't want them to worry, but the concern gnaws away at him. 

He sways, but before he can collapse, Sehun and Zitao are there to prop him up. Zhou Mi leans on them heavily during the short walk to his room, falling into bed ungracefully with a groan. 

"I can stay?" Zitao offers, and looks like he's going to anyway when Zhou Mi tells him no. Finally Zhou Mi manages to convince them both that he just needs some rest.

"Go," Zhou Mi says weakly. "Make sure Heechul keeps us on course. You know how he gets." 

Now that he's alone in his room, all his worries and anxiety assail him, his confidence gone. 

"What am I going to do, Heechul?" he asks into the quietness. 

Heechul hums, before saying, "You could sell the -"

"No. That's not an option."

"Well. I don't know then."

Zhou Mi throws an arm over his eyes. He tries not to let his regrets overwhelm him but sometimes it's so _hard_. If only he hadn't trusted him. 

"Heechul?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think… do you think that Calvin's feelings for me were real? At some point? Or was it all a lie?"

Heechul sighs. "How would I know? I'm just a computer."

"You know I don't believe that." Zhou Mi's hand throbs and he shifts uncomfortably on the bed. "I'm still going to buy you a body one day." Android bodies - the good ones that are most life like - are _expensive_. And Heechul, naturally, wants (deserves) nothing less than top of the line. 

Zhou Mi had been saving for years: a body for Heechul, upgrades for Loach; but unfortunately all that money and more went towards the legal fees. It's maddening that lawyers are more expensive than android bodies and spaceship parts. 

"Just concentrate on not losing your head before you worry about me," Heechul tells him. 

Zhou Mi stifles a sigh. "Okay." 

"And for what it's worth, if I analyse his reactions during your interactions together, I conclude that there was a genuine emotional attachment there. You can call that friendship if you like." 

Zhou Mi keeps his hand elevated but buries the rest of himself under the covers at Heechul's assessment. Friendship. He doesn't know if that makes him feel better or worse. 

Because if Calvin was his friend and still betrayed him, it can't have been much of a friendship. 

 

∞

 

It's quiet and dark on board, the lights dimmed and only the life support systems humming away in the background. While there's no set day and night in space, Zhou Mi keeps his ship to a schedule that corresponds with the time back on his home planet. Back on Jinxing, galaxies and galaxies away, it's currently deep night, and on the ship, Sehun and Zitao are asleep in bed. 

That's where Zhou Mi should be too, but instead he's in his captain's chair watching the darkness of space as Loach flies towards Orixe. He unconsciously wriggles his fingers, opening and closing his left hand, the skin stiff underneath the bandage. It's the strangest sensation - he can still feel his little finger flexing with the others. It's like a phantom: even though he knows it's no longer there, the sensation from its ghost is so strong that he could swear it's still attached. 

Zhou Mi can't help but think that missing someone is a bit like that. Without direct evidence that someone no longer exists, it's easy to fool himself into believing that they're still out there _somewhere_. 

In an infinite universe there are infinite possibilities, and perhaps Zhou Mi just needs to keep on searching until they're found. 

Tears drip down his cheeks, wetting his sleeve and rolling their way down his wrist to his hand. He doesn't notice Zitao padding up silently behind him until he's enveloped in a hug from the back. 

"Ge? Don't cry, please." Outwardly, Zitao seems fierce, but he's a sympathy crier and already he's tearing up, irises a dark navy blue. 

"I'm really sorry." 

Zitao takes the seat next to him and together they contemplate the emptiness of space for a while. Zhou Mi has always wanted to share this with him - he couldn't wait for Zitao to grow up and join him in space, but he'd never guessed that it would come with so much heaviness. 

"Remember the first time we were on Ma's ship together?" Zitao finally asks, and Zhou Mi smiles at the memory. He'd been ten, and Zitao barely four: a toddling little boy with chubby cheeks who clung to him like a koala. It had been Zitao's first time in space, and he'd been mesmerised by all the shiny metallic contraptions on the ship, wanting to examine everything. 

"Do you remember that you turned the gravity off? I still remember how you floated around, laughing like a hyena. You thought it was the best thing ever," Zhou Mi replies. Zitao had been a right little pest, wanting to push every single button, banging on them with his tiny fists. He'd managed to shut off the gravity system for a good eight hours, and if he hadn't been the Captain's son, the ship's mechanic would've ejected him straight into space. 

Zitao grins cheekily, his smile so wide it forms his eyes into crescents. Zhou Mi hasn't seen him smile like that in a while. But as quickly as it was there, the smile disappears and Zitao sobers. "I miss her." 

Zhou Mi face falls and the nerves in his ghost finger pulse in pain. "I miss her too."

 

∞

 

It takes another week before they arrive on Orixe, a small planet in the middle of the Ori Galaxy. They're here to deliver alcohol to one of Zhou Mi's friends, Henry, who owns a bar popular with travellers. 

Zhou Mi insists that Zitao and Sehun go exploring while he takes the delivery to Henry's bar. Neither of the boys have been to Orixe before, and they deserve to have some fun after being cooped up on board for so long. 

At Henry's bar it doesn't take long for Zhou Mi to unload the boxes into the store room. After he's finished he joins his friend in the front, where Henry pulls him into a tight hug, patting him on the back with a strong thump. 

"It's good to see you. Thanks for the booze." 

Orixe is such a small planet that there's no alcohol production centres, however Zhou Mi suspects that Henry requested an order out of sympathy rather than need. While he was stacking the boxes he'd noticed that Henry had enough stock to last him quite a while longer. 

Henry pours him a drink, and Zhou Mi takes it gratefully. It's still early, and the place is currently empty, although that will change shortly. Orixe has two suns, and when the second larger sun rises it gets incredibly hot, and Henry will receive an influx of customers wanting a cold drink. 

"You only ordered because you felt sorry for me," Zhou Mi chides gently. 

"Would I do that?" asks Henry, eyes wide and looking as innocent as a baby. Zhou Mi scoffs, knowing from that expression that he's guessed right. The news has travelled far and fast if it's reached this corner of the universe. "Besides, is there anything wrong with wanting to see my friend? It's been so long." 

Before the trial, Zhou Mi was a frequent visitor to Orixe. With the planet's primary industry being tourism, and very little land and natural resources of its own, Orixe survives on imports of food and other goods. 

Henry clears his throat, eyes sad before saying quickly, as if he was unsure whether he should mention it, "I was sorry to hear about your mother. It was a tough sentence." 

Zhou Mi takes a sip of his drink, the liquor burning its way down his throat. It's strong stuff of the highest quality, created on an ice planet not far from Jinxing, but at the moment it just tastes like sadness. He nods in acknowledgement, but doesn't otherwise respond, not wanting to get into the topic.

Fortunately Henry changes the subject before he can get too morose. "Where're you headed next?"

"I dunno," Zhou Mi says honestly. "Maybe… maybe I'll join the exploratory expedition to Del Ze."

Del Ze means money, a lot of it, with the payment high enough to pay off Urk. But there's a reason for the generous remuneration: Del Ze is self imposed exile. Even with all the galactic gates that have been constructed, and improved technology speeding up ships, Del Ze is out on the edge of their known universe, so far from all other inhabited planets that a trip out there is permanent. 

"Why would you do that?" Henry asks in confusion, not knowing about Urk. "Zitao would never let you go anyway." 

"That's what I keep telling him," Heechul's voice pipes up from the comms device strapped to Zhou Mi's wrist. "But he doesn't listen to me. I'm just a computer. You try and talk some sense into him." 

"I'm going to turn you off," Zhou Mi says threateningly into his comms device. 

"Whatever," Heechul replies. If he had a visual representation, he would be rolling his eyes.

Henry isn't phased by Heechul butting into their conversation, having known Zhou Mi long enough to know that Heechul tags along off ship as well. 

"Do you need money? Have you ever thought about bounty hunting? You do so much travel around space anyway," Henry says, topping up Zhou Mi's glass. 

"Bounty hunting?" 

"Yeah, bounty hunting." Henry reaches behind the bar for his tablet, pulling it out and tapping until it brings up a page for ISA, the Intergalactic Safety Agency. "Look." He hands it over to Zhou Mi, who scans it with interest.

Bounties, rewards offered for the capture of individuals or objects, can be posted by anyone on the ISA site. The larger bounties are for criminals who've skipped bail - the more dangerous, the higher the monetary compensation - but there's also numerous smaller ones for lost friends, family members, stolen goods and even lost pets. 

Henry taps his finger on the screen to draw Zhou Mi's attention. "What about this one? This kid has gone truant and he was last spotted on Orixe - he might still be here. You just need to find him and take him back to Earth." 

"Well… I don't know…"

"I bet his family really miss him." Henry has his innocent face on again, but he knows exactly how to pique Zhou Mi's interest. "And look how much they're offering for his safe return."

50.000 galeks. To find one kid and take him home. Zhou Mi admits that the money is good. And, as Henry says, he'll be reuniting a kid with his parents. He'd be doing a good deed and earning money. Maybe there is something to this bounty hunting business. 

 

∞

 

Zhou Mi doesn't stay at Henry's bar for long, but it's long enough for Henry to convince him that he needs a pair of handcuffs if he's going to be a bounty hunter. Zhou Mi doesn't think he's going to be one at all - he's just going to do this one job - but he supposes a pair of cuffs might come in useful. 

Henry gives him directions to the nearest weapons shop, and while there Heechul perks up at the weapons. 

"Buy a gun!" Heechul tells him. "Show me some!"

Zhou Mi looks around the shop, hoping for some assistance because he is clueless when it comes to weapons, but the lone salesperson is already busy with another customer. So Zhou Mi wanders down an aisle and picks up a gun at random, hefting it in his hands and testing its weight. 

Does he really need a gun? He doesn't actually want to shoot anyone. But he waves the gun in front of his comms device so Heechul can see it through the camera. 

"What do you think?"

"I think," someone next to him says in an amused tone, mistakenly believing that he was asking for their opinion, "That I'm unsure whether you're looking to shoot someone or just club them to death."

Zhou Mi looks over to the stranger. He looks like he might be an Earthling, though he's on the tall side - almost as tall as Zhou Mi. He's dressed all in black, a backpack slung over a shoulder, and he has dark hair, dark brown eyes and pale skin. 

"Is it that obvious that I have no idea what I'm doing?" Zhou Mi asks, still holding the gun gingerly. 

The stranger plucks it out of his grip, turning it around and placing it back into Zhou Mi's hands, gently wrapping Zhou Mi's fingers into the correct position. He's polite enough not to mention Zhou Mi's bandaged finger. "You probably want to hold it the other way if you want to shoot someone other than yourself."

Zhou Mi blushes purple with embarrassment, before confessing, "I don't really intend to shoot anyone." Just the _thought_ of shooting someone, permanently injuring them or _worse_ , makes him turn grey immediately. 

"You shouldn't be buying a gun then. If you have one, you need to be willing to use it."

Zhou Mi tells him that he's looking for something to defend himself, without going into the specific reasons why. He gets given an appraising look before being asked, "You're Jinxing, right? You're a long way from home." 

"Yes," Zhou Mi confirms. "I'm Zhou Mi." He sets the gun back on the rack, holding out a hand to introduce himself. "And you? Earth?" 

"Yes, I'm Kyuhyun, from Earth," the man says. His handshake is firm, skin slightly calloused. "Can I make a suggestion? How about something non lethal?" 

Together they go over to the shelf of incapacitator, a line of weapons that temporarily shuts down an enemy's consciousness without causing permanent damage. Zhou Mi scrutinises them before selecting one at random.

Kyuhyun quietly takes it and returns it to the shelf. "You need something with more oomph. That one is only strong enough to knock out a life form the size of a dog. Use it on something larger and you'll just have someone really pissed off and ready to kick your ass." He picks another one: a sturdy looking oblong with a curved hand grip in the middle, coloured matte grey. There's two metal electrodes at one end that passes an electric current through the victim to disrupt their nervous system. "This one should do it." 

Zhou Mi thanks him gratefully. They wish each other farewell and Zhou Mi goes to the counter to make his purchases. He leaves the store armed with his new goods, the cuffs stuffed into his backpack and the incapacitator hooked into his belt. Zhou Mi tugs his shirt down to cover it and wanders down the street, giving Zitao a call as he walks. 

"Hi," Zitao answers. There's music in the background, and the sound of cheering. "Are we late? Is it time to head back to the ship?"

"No, no," Zhou Mi reassures him. "Not yet. I just wanted to ask - if you were a teenager, where do you think you'd hang out?"

There's a brief pause, during which Zhou Mi can hear applause, before Zitao replies, "I hear that there's a skate plaza here. Maybe there? It's not far from the spaceport."

Heechul brings up directions for him. As Zhou Mi heads to the plaza he stops at stores along the way, asking if anyone has seen the kid he's looking for. Eventually he gets a positive answer from a native Orixian, who nods at the photo and tells him, "He was in here about an hour ago. He had a skateboard with him." 

Not too long after Zhou Mi finds the skate plaza, a large outdoor skate park that emulates an urban street plaza with stars, railings, a couple of half pipes, and a large bowl. It's mid afternoon, and even though it's the hottest part of the day, there's still several scattered groups hanging around with a mixture of genders and species. Zhou Mi heads to the nearest group, a gaggle of native Orixians, easily recognisable with their short stature and hydrophobic pale green skin that comes from evolving on a planet that's mostly water. They're holding bottles of water and occasionally drenching themselves to stay wet. 

"Hello," Zhou Mi greets, his tone friendly. "I'm looking for this kid - have you seen him?" 

He shows them the picture, and one of them, who looks like he might be the leader of the small crew, points his thumb in the direction of a half pipe in the far corner. 

"BamBam? Yah, he's over there." Then the young Orixian's forehead creases. "He's not in trouble, is he? He's cool." 

"Of course not," Zhou Mi chirps. "His parents are just looking for him." 

Zhou Mi walks over to the half pipe, thinking that this whole bounty hunting business is turning out to be easier than he'd first thought. BamBam is easy to spot, the sole human in the group, and looks exactly like his photo - young and fresh faced, with a stripe of blonde at the front of his otherwise black hair. He's at the top of the ramp, board propped up by his feet. 

Zhou Mi waves up at him and calls out. "BamBam!"

"Who the hell are you?" BamBam shouts from the ramp, but clambers down without waiting for an answer. 

The Jinxing have a reputation for being harmless and trustworthy - a stereotype that runs mostly true. The bulk of Zhou Mi's species are terrible liars: their emotions easily told through the colour shifts in their eyes and skin. While they can learn to lie and suppress their colour changes, it takes so much effort that most Jinxing don't bother. This reputation for being harmless seems to be a bonus so far, as everyone Zhou Mi meets answers his questions honestly. No one seems to think that he has the capacity to use the knowledge for anything untowards. 

Once BamBam is standing in front of him Zhou Mi holds the photo up to his face. He definitely has the right kid, but still asks, "You're BamBam, right? From Earth?" When BamBam nods, Zhou Mi gives him his brightest, friendliest smile, and tells him, "I'm here to take you back to your parents." 

At that, BamBam's face falls. 

And then he makes a run for it, tossing his board at Zhou Mi, just narrowly missing his shins. 

BamBam is small, much shorter than Zhou Mi, but being more familiar with the territory he manages to lead him on a good chase. They run out of the plaza, across the road and down the streets, dodging traffic and pedestrians before Zhou Mi catches up and tackles him. 

"Oof!" 

Now that they're both on the ground, Zhou Mi isn't sure how he's meant to prevent BamBam from running off again. In lieu of any other solution, he sits on him, trapping the boy underneath. 

BamBam squirms helplessly, face turning a bit red from exertion and anger. "Let me go! You - you - grrrr! Help! Someone help me!" 

All the shouting and unusual activity is starting to draw a crowd of curious onlookers. Zhou Mi smiles at them all, doing his best to radiate calm and control. "Everything's okay," he says. "I'm just taking him back to his parents." 

There's a familiar sounding laugh coming from the crowd, and Kyuhyun walks out looks amused. Zhou Mi gives him a friendly wave as BamBam keeps trying to wriggle free. Even though Jinxing are lithe, they're also tall, and BamBam has no chance of escape. 

Kyuhyun stops in front of them, peering down at Bambam. "I don't think I've ever seen someone being captured by being sat on. Why didn't you use your incapacitor?" BamBam sputters angrily.

"Get him off me! I'll pay you!" 

"Shush Bambam," Zhou Mi chides, before admitting sheepishly to Kyuhyun, "I wasn't sure how to use it…"

Kyuhyun shakes his head, amused. Zhou Mi's shirt has ridden up, exposing the incapacitator, and Kyuhyun pulls it free and flicks it on. 

"Just like this," he says once it's warmed up, pressing it to BamBam's bare arm. BamBam twitches violently, eyes rolling back as the current travels through his body, and he goes limp. Kyuhyun switches off the weapon and reaches out a hand to help Zhou Mi up. 

"That looked like it hurt," Zhou Mi comments, taking back his incapacitor and giving BamBam a regretful look. "Poor kid." 

"It probably hurts less than you sitting on him. Don't worry, he'll be fine in an hour or so." 

Zhou Mi hefts BamBam over his shoulder. He's relatively small but it's going to take a lot of energy to carry him all the way to the ship. 

"Where're you taking him?" 

"Back to his parents on Earth." Zhou Mi says as he takes a few testing steps with BamBam draped over his shoulder. "He stowed away on a flight to Orixe and they're desperate to have him back." 

Kyuhyun trots alongside him. "Earth? Say… can I get a ride? I missed my flight and the next scheduled departure isn't for another week. I can pay you." 

Zhou Mi's immediate reaction is a no: Kyuhyun is a stranger, he could be dangerous, Zhou Mi doesn't want to be fooled again. But that's the Zhou Mi that he's become after everything that's happened. Once upon a time, his first response would have been yes. 

"Ummm," Zhou Mi says as he tries to make a decision. "I need to ask my - my friend first. Can I have a second?"

Kyuhyun agrees, stepping away to give him some privacy. Zhou Mi lowers BamBam back to the ground and then talks into his comms device. 

"What do you think, Heechul?"

"Story checks out. A flight just left, and there isn't another one for a week." 

"You think he's okay?"

"That's not what I said."

"Hmm." Zhou Mi oscillates between the two choices. "Do you think he looks trustworthy?" Zhou Mi ponders his own question as he looks at Kyuhyun, who's very deliberately watching the sky to give Zhou Mi space to make a decision. He doesn't look _un_ trustworthy. And he did help Zhou Mi when he wasn't required to. 

Zhou Mi finally decides, calling Kyuhyun over. "I'll give you a ride - if you help me carry BamBam." 

Kyuhyun takes BamBam's legs and together they cart him to Zhou Mi's spacecraft. Loach is designed to transport cargo between planets and she's a bit of a clunker, built for practicality rather than beauty. Loach's interior is made up of several sections: a cockpit with large windows designed for easy flying and viewing, a middle section that contains three sleeping chambers, a kitchen/rec room, a bathroom, and a long, empty rear section for cargo. 

Once on board, they carry BamBam into one of the spare sleeping chambers, lying him down gently on the bed. He looks even younger completely knocked out, and Zhou Mi buckles him to the bed so he'll be safe during take off, sweeping his fringe off his face. 

Zhou Mi gives Kyuhyun a quick tour of his ship and then he brings Kyuhyun to his own room, the door opening to reveal two beds and a double doored storage cupboard at the far end. It's cozy inside, with the two beds on either side taking up most of the space. The one thing Zhou Mi had done when he took ownership of Loach was to rip out all the existing beds and install larger ones to accommodate his height, but he'd had to sacrifice floor space. 

"I hope you don't mind sharing a room with me," Zhou Mi tells him, gesturing for Kyuhyun to place his bag on the spare bed. There's only three sleeping chambers - Zitao and Sehun share one, and the spare one currently holds BamBam. 

"Of course not," Kyuhyun replies. 

Kyuhyun doesn't take much time to unpack his belongings, pulling out a few clothes and placing them in the cupboard on his side of the room. There's drawers under the beds, and he opens one and stashes his bag inside. 

"Ready."

Together they go to the cockpit, just as Zitao and Sehun return in a rush of noise, arms linked and sucking on popsicles as they enter. 

Zitao pulls the confection out of his mouth and narrows his eyes. "Who're you?" he says to Kyuhyun bluntly. 

Sehun frowns at Zitao and nudges him, mouthing, "Rude." Sehun retrieves an ice cream from the bag hanging from his arm and hands it to Zhou Mi. 

"Kyuhyun, this is Zitao and Sehun. Kyuhyun is going to be travelling with us to Earth." Zhou Mi gives them a brief explanation on how they met, filling them in on BamBam.

"Huh." Zitao frowns, chewing on his popsicle stick and eyeing Kyuhyun with distrust. Then he turns to Zhou Mi, hs entire demeanour changing as he grins widely, "Guess what we did today! We busked - and we made some money! I rapped and Hun danced." Zitao bumps his comms device to Zhou Mi's wrist to transfer a payment. "I know it's not much, but… every bit helps, right?" 

He's so pleased with himself that even if Zhou Mi wasn't touched, he would pretend to be. 

"Of course it helps," Zhou Mi tells his brother, ruffling his hair. He shouldn't treat him like a kid - he's not any more, but to Zhou Mi he'll always be his baby brother that he promised to look after.

Heechul butts in to let them know that they have clearance to depart. Everyone heads to their assigned seats: Zhou Mi in the captain's chair, Zitao in the co-captain spot next to him, and Sehun buckles into his usual seat at the back of the cockpit, with Kyuhyun across from him.

Heechul and Zhou Mi run through the pre-flight checks together. They've done this hundreds of times, but every single time it sends adrenaline prickling along the edges of Zhou Mi's skin as the engines fire up for takeoff. 

Loach rattles as she comes up to full power and then they're hurtling down the runway, taking off from Orixe and shooting upwards into the sky. When they reach a certain altitude the rockets fire and they're racing out of the planet's atmosphere, headed to Earth. 

 

∞

 

"Checkmate," BamBam says smugly, leaning back and crossing his arms with a smirk. 

After BamBam had woken up, he'd understandably been rather pissed off about being kidnapped, but he'd calmed down quickly. They found out that he'd stowed away on a ship to Orixe on a whim, and had been wanting to head back home for a while. The only thing that prevented him from calling his parents was his pride, so being kidnapped turned out to be the best result for everyone. 

"I still don't understand why taking the King wins the game," Zhou Mi grumbles as he frowns down at the chess board. "We should play the proper rules - the ones that everyone else in the universe obeys." It's a long flight to Earth, and they've been whiling away the time with games. Chess is one particular favourite, particularly for BamBam, who has won every game they've played. 

Zhou Mi is sure he's cheating.

"Don't be a sore loser just because I'm smarter and younger than you," BamBam teases.

"I should eject you for your cheek," Zhou Mi says, just as Kyuhyun wanders in. He waves him over, looking up at Kyuhyun pitifully. "Is BamBam cheating? He's cheating, right?" 

"I don't play chess," Kyuhyun tells him, patting him on the shoulder sympathetically. "But I don't think he's cheating. He's just smarter than you." BamBam beams, a wide grin that shows his teeth, and leans forward for a high five. 

"No respect. Not even on my own ship," Zhou Mi pouts, though only in jest. Truthfully, it's nice to have extra company on board. Not that he doesn't love Zitao and Sehun, but BamBam and Kyuhyun don't have any preconceptions and they don't worry about his state of mind or freak out every time he frowns. Spending time with BamBam and Kyuhyun helps Zhou Mi to _not_ think about certain things. 

"Do you know how to play poker?" Kyuhyun asks, pulling a deck of cards from his pocket. BamBam nods, but Zhou Mi shakes his head, and Kyuhyun places the chessboard to one side and takes a seat at the table. 

"I'll teach you," he says as he starts dealing cards. 

It's another game that Zhou Mi loses horribly at. 

 

∞

 

It's the night schedule on the ship, and again Zhou Mi finds himself wide awake. He quietly gets up, doing his best not to disturb Kyuhyun in the bed opposite. 

He goes to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea before heading out to the cockpit and settling into his chair, tapping on the control panel to pull up a hologram map of the universe. The map expands in front of him, illuminating the dim room. 

Zhou Mi has always loved space, has always loved travelling, something he inherited from his mother. She was rarely off her ship, with the longest periods she spent on planet during Zhou Mi and Zitao's births. While they hardly ever saw her growing up, she would vidcall them every night before going to sleep. 

Thinking of her reminds him of a song she used to sing to them. He hums the melody, and then starts singing it softly to himself in their language, only stopping when he registers Kyuhyun's presence behind him.

"Don't stop, I didn't mean to disturb you," Kyuhyun says in apology, taking the chair next to Zhou Mi's. "You couldn't sleep?"

Zhou Mi shakes his head, pressing on his throat to activate his babelfish, idly flicking through the hologram in front of him. It settles on the Milky Way, Earth only a tiny, tiny speck in the outer arms. Zhou Mi zooms in, magnifying the image until the blue and green planet is large enough to be recognisable. 

"You've visited Earth before, right?" 

"Yes, a couple of times," Zhou Mi confirms. It's been a while since he was last there, but it's still one of his favourite places. 

"You've travelled a lot."

"A bit," Zhou Mi agrees. He's been so far, and yet despite all his travels there's a vast amount of the universe he's never seen - and will never see. Sometimes that's exciting: that there's still so much to explore, but sometimes it's a bit sad. 

"Has it always been the three of you?"

"No. For years," _and years and years_ , "it was just Heechul and myself." 

"It sounds lonely." 

"It was. But there's worse things than being lonely," Zhou Mi says, a little regretfully. There's being so lonely that you let yourself be fooled. "Anyway, that was a while ago. I have Zitao and Sehun now." His brother the shadow, and his brother's shadow, both of whom believe that they need to protect him. Once upon a time it was Zhou Mi looking out for them, but now their roles have reversed. 

He wishes he hadn't made Zitao grow up so fast. 

Zhou Mi claps his hands and the map dissipates. "It won't be long until we reach Earth," Zhou Mi states, changing the subject. "It must be nice to know that you're almost home."

"Yeah," Kyuhyun says with a shrug, seemingly unexcited. "Do you miss home?" 

When Zhou Mi was younger, he couldn't wait to leave and explore other planets and galaxies. But now - now that he can't go back until he pays Urk - he misses it. There's nowhere else like it: everything is striking, bold and vibrant; the colours more vivid than anywhere else he's ever been. The air on Jinxing is rich and high in oxygen, and the plants grow tall and lush. 

"It's the most beautiful place in the entire universe," he tell Kyuhyun.

"Prettier than Earth?" 

"Earth is ugly in comparison," Zhou Mi states without hesitation. 

"Earth is just ugly," Heechul says and Kyuhyun startles at his voice. 

'Heechul," Zhou Mi says warningly, recognising Kyuhyun's distress. "Stop listening, that's an order." Zhou Mi shakes his head ruefully, apologising to Kyuhyun. "Sorry, he has a tendency to interrupt. I don't know why but he's never liked Earth." 

"Is he always on? Always listening? Even -" Kyuhyun frowns. "When we're sleeping? In the shower?"

"He's a computer, he's always running in the background. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can tell him to stop. Orders to do with the operations of the ship can only come from myself or Zitao, but anyone on board can command him to stop listening."

"So he's not listening now? Not watching?"

"Not right now. He'd be talking back if he was."

Kyuhyun looks relieved, and then he walks over, leaning down and giving Zhou Mi an awkward hug. Zhou Mi, taken by surprise, blinks at him, mouth open like a fish. 

"You looked like you needed a hug before. When you were talking about your home." 

"Oh! Thank you." Kyuhyun is more perceptive and sweeter, than he initially shows. 

"I'm going back to bed. Are you coming?" 

"I'll be there in a bit." 

Kyuhyun leaves, and Zhou Mi settles back into his chair. "Heechul, you can come back now." 

There's silence.

"Don't be angry because I sent you away."

"I'm not," Heechul finally replies, a bit huffily. 

"Yes you are, I can hear it in your voice."

"What did you talk about while I was away?" 

"You're so nosy. I'm not telling you!"

"I'm just curious because you've gone a bit purple. Something happened that made you embarrassed." 

Zhou Mi brings his hands up to his face, covering his cheeks. Dammit. It was the hug. He'd been embarrassed about the hug. "I'm DEFINITELY not telling you. I'm going to bed now. And I'm commanding you to stay out of the bedroom."

"Okay Captain. But why? What are you going to do in there with him? Hmmmm?"

Zhou Mi can't help himself, he blushes a bright bright purple. 

 

∞

 

When Earth comes into view, BamBam claps happily. 

"It's pretty, isn't it?" he says, leaning out of his chair to peer out the window.

Zhou Mi gently reminds BamBam to sit down and buckle in but his heart feels warm to see him so excited. There's no place like home. The closer they get to landing, the more excited BamBam gets, until he's almost bouncing out of his chair. 

When they finally land, it's time to farewell Kyuhyun. Everyone leaves Loach, and before they head their separate ways, Kyuhyun leans in to give Zhou Mi a hug. It's a better one than the last one they shared, but this time Zhou Mi keeps his colour under control.

"Thanks for letting me travel with you. Stay safe, okay?" Kyuhyun says to him before pulling away. 

Zitao and Sehun have already wandered off to explore, and BamBam lingers impatiently in the background. Kyuhyun gives BamBam a wave, and then he's gone, bag slung over his shoulder. 

Zhou Mi hails a taxi, and as they travel BamBam chatters the whole time, pointing out places of interest. Well, places of interest according to a teenager, so there's a lot of "that's where I hang out with my friends" and "that place makes the best burgers" and so on. 

BamBam's parents live in a quiet treelined neighbourhood, and when they arrive they're ecstatic to see their son. They're so grateful and kind to Zhou Mi that it makes him feel fuzzy. And of course, they pay him the promised reward, which makes him feel even better. 

It takes a while before he can excuse himself from their hospitality: "Have another cup of tea. Would you like another cookie? You're so thin, eat some more." But eventually he manages and BamBam sees him out.

"You know," BamBam says to him at the front door. "You're alright. Even though you suck at chess and poker, and you're really heavy." 

"You're not so bad either, kid. I'll miss you." Zhou Mi gives him a big hug before ruffling his hair affectionately. "If you ever need anything, call me. No more stowing away, okay?"

"I will. I'll call you," BamBam promises. 

They're scheduled to stay on Earth for a couple of days, and Zhou Mi uses the time for logistics: refueling and supplies, as well as organising deliveries, filling up the cargo hold with packages. Zhou Mi had intended to show Sehun and Zitao around a little, but they seem to be doing fine without him, heading out each day and coming back late, full of stories about the things they've seen and done.

All too soon, their stay is over, and it's time to depart. It's a rainy, miserable day, so Zhou Mi makes sure that they go through a detailed pre flight check, confirming and reconfirming Heechul's calculations prior to take off. 

When he's satisfied, and they're given clearance to depart, he gives Heechul the signal to start up the engines. They've just fired up and about to depart from their bay when there's a banging on Loach's outer door. 

"What is that?"

"It's Kyuhyun," Heechul tells him. 

Kyuhyun? Perhaps he'd left something behind by accident? Zhou Mi gives Heechul the command to unlock the door, and Kyuhyun makes his way through the airlock into the cockpit, looking red, out of breath, and soaking wet, his bag hanging from a shoulder.

"Hi!" he pants. "I was thinking - how do you feel about taking on another companion? Earth is boring."

Truthfully, the ship had felt a bit empty without BamBam and Kyuhyun. Of course, there's Zitao and Sehun, but that's a bit different. It isn't that Zhou Mi is envious of their relationship - Zitao would be horrified if he thought Zhou Mi felt excluded - it's just -

They're a pair, best friends since childhood, so stuck together they're practically the same person. And sometimes Zhou Mi misses having someone for himself like that. He has Heechul of course, and even though he has a bigger personality than almost any natural life form, it's not exactly the same. Having BamBam or Kyuhyun around had helped to keep that feeling at bay. 

So Zhou Mi brightens at Kyuhyun's proposition. "Sure. Take a seat, we're just about to leave." 

 

∞

 

When Zhou Mi is knocked on his ass for the fifth time, Kyuhyun looks down at him sympathetically. 

"I'm not sure this is for you."

"No!" Zhou Mi protests, reaching a hand out so Kyuhyun can help pull him up. "I can do this. Let's keep trying." He stands, brushing himself off, and crouches into the stance Kyuhyun taught him. "Come at me again."

When Kyuhyun discovered that Zhou Mi intended to keep on bounty hunting he insisted on teaching Zhou Mi how to fight and defend himself. So far, the lessons aren't going so well. They cleared a space in the cargo hold and have been training every day for a week, but Zhou Mi has barely improved.

Kyuhyun steps forward to pat him on the shoulder gently. "Let's call it done for a d-"

Zhou Mi doesn't let him finish, instead throwing himself at Kyuhyun, leveraging his height and weight just the way he'd been taught. He sends Kyuhyun crashing to the ground, where Zhou Mi scrambles to sit on him. Zhou Mi does an excited fist bump into the air, crowing happily. 

"Surrender! Surrender, you devious criminal!"

"Okay, okay! I surrender. Get off." His words are sharp, but underneath Zhou Mi he's giggling uncontrollably. 

Zhou Mi grins, giddy with success, before standing and pulling Kyuhyun to his feet. "It's not graceful, but you have to admit that my sitting technique seems to work." 

Kyuhyun scoffs but laughs. "You can't sit on everyone you want to capture. Let's practice more tomorrow."

Zhou Mi thinks it's oddly sweet how insistent Kyuhyun is about teaching him how to fight. Zhou Mi is hopeless at it, absolutely hopeless: his limbs too long and uncoordinated, but Kyuhyun is endlessly patient. 

And he's so interested in Zhou Mi's life. Ever since they left Earth, they've spent hours and hours chatting, with Kyuhyun seemingly wanting to know _everything_ : how Zhou Mi came to own Loach, the places he's visited, his family history, Zitao. 

It's amazing how much there is to talk about. It's as if Zhou Mi had saved up all these words during the years he'd been alone and now they're all coming tumbling out. 

The only topics that Zhou Mi skims over are those related to his mother, those memories still too painful, and about Urk and Calvin, those memories still too shameful. But it feels like he shares everything else. Kyuhyun has a way, a perceptiveness, that makes him feel like he's completely transparent. 

As they walk back to their room Kyuhyun throws an arm over Zhou Mi's shoulder. "You did better today."

"Really?!"

Kyuhyun bites his lip and stifles a laugh, shaking his head. "Not really. You're still terrible. But you're trying?"

He says it like a question, and Zhou Mi pretends to slug him. "I'm trying hard! I guess I'm just good at other things." When they enter their room, Zhou Mi heads straight to the cupboard to find a change of clothes, having gotten all sticky from the exercise. 

Kyuhyun mirrors his movements as he hunts in his side of the cupboard, stripping off his shirt. He has his back to Zhou Mi and the sudden exposure of pale skin sends a fluttering through Zhou Mi, momentarily stunning him. Zhou Mi quickly turns around, grabbing a shirt at random and shoving it over his head, willing himself to calm down before he gives himself away. 

He hadn't even realised he felt that way. 

He wants Kyuhyun to be his friend - he thinks that perhaps they are already. Zhou Mi finishes getting changed, all the while telling himself that he doesn't need, or want, anything more than that. 

He is a terrible liar.

 

∞

 

When Zhou Mi enters the kitchen, Sehun hands him a cup of tea. "How're the lessons going?" When he notices Kyuhyun right behind Zhou Mi, he finds another mug - a tacky souvenir that Zhou Mi picked up once from Krostos - and pours another cup. 

"It's going… okay," Zhou Mi tells him. They all know how unsuccessful the lessons are. 

From his seat in the corner, his brother scoffs. "I offered to teach you years ago." Zitao learnt a form of martial arts from a young age, but Zhou Mi had been more interested in planets, stars and galaxies, watching the night sky and reading everything he could find on space. 

"I bet I'm a better teacher than Kyuhyun," Zitao says quietly, a barb in his voice, and loud enough for Kyuhyun to hear.

"Zitao!" Sehun exclaims, giving him a whack on the arm. 

"What? It's probably true." Zitao is unapologetic, as always. He still hasn't warmed up to Kyuhyun, and he's not afraid to let that show. 

"Kyuhyun is a good teacher, I'm just a bad student," Zhou Mi tells them, trying to smooth over the atmosphere, as Kyuhyun sips his tea, quiet. 

"Perhaps we should spar some time then," Zitao says to Kyuhyun, tone casual but the implied _I'm going to kick your ass_ is clear.

Kyuhyun, to his credit, doesn't rise to the bait, and just says serenely, "Sure. I'm sure I could learn a lot from you."

 

∞

 

Later, Zhou Mi corners his brother in his room. 

"Zitao," he frowns at him, disappointed. "Why are you so mean to Kyuhyun?"

Zitao gives Zhou Mi his most innocent expression, but he's as transparent as the water on their home planet. 

"You know what you're doing. And I want to know why."

Zitao slumps to his bed, frowning, suddenly a child again. "I just don't like him! I don't trust him and I don't think you should either. You didn't even ASK me! I thought we were doing this together."

Ahhhh. So that's the problem. Zhou Mi feels a flash of guilt as he realises it's true. He hadn't even asked Zitao for his opinion before agreeing to let Kyuhyun travel with them. 

"You're right. I'm sorry. I should've asked you first."

Zitao's tempers are always short lived, and he rarely holds grudges, because that's all it takes for him to stop being sullen. He pouts but says, "I'll try and be nicer to him, ge. For you." 

Warmth bubbles in Zhou Mi's chest as he pulls his brother in for a hug. "Thank you. That's all I want."

 

∞

 

Kyuhyun makes a face at his cup. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this crap that you call tea."

Zhou Mi hooks his chin over Kyuhyun's shoulder and watches him eye the liquid suspiciously. "I've have you know that I buy the best stuff. It's very highly prized on my planet."

"One day," Kyuhyun tells him, "I'm going to buy some real tea and throw out all this weird stuff you have. There's no way tea should be piss yellow." 

"You pee yellow?" Zhou Mi says with mock concern. "We need to get you to a doctor!"

Kyuhyun scoffs and hands the mug over his shoulder to Zhou Mi. "Did you ask Zitao to be nice to me? He's being weird."

"Oh. Ah. Well. I just asked him to stop being so rude. That's all."

"You know that I don't actually care? I don't need everyone to like me." Kyuhyun tidies away all the tea making supplies, clearing off the bench and placing everything back in their allocated slots in the cupboard. He hooks the cupboard closed to ensure it's secure before looking over his shoulder at Zhou Mi. 

"I only care if you like me," Kyuhyun says. He says it a little teasingly, but there's something in his eyes that makes Zhou Mi's heart stutter. 

"Oh." Zhou Mi swallows hard. "Well I do." 

_I really like you,_ Zhou Mi thinks, but he keeps that part to himself.

 

∞

 

"Zhou Mi!" 

Zhou Mi smiles brightly at Amber's face on his screen. "Hi! Do you have news for me?"

She does a "who knows?" gesture before slowly grinning. "Perhaps. You're after the Twins, right?"

"Yes!" A while ago Zhou Mi read through all the available bounties for the planets he's about to visit, sending photos to all his contacts. He'd been most eager to hear back from Amber, as Cygnus A was next on their list for a delivery. 

He's incredibly keen for news on the Twins. The Twins, Daeryong and Soryong, are a notorious pair of ship thieves, and were last spotted flying towards Cygnus A in a stolen Messier DSO, a beautiful, limited edition, luxury ship. There's a bounty for the Twins as well as for the safe return of the spacecraft. 

"They're here," Amber says smugly. "With a shiny new ship. It's a wonder no one else has picked them up yet." 

Zhou Mi claps brightly. "Thanks Amber, I owe you one." She winks at him and her face disappears from his screen. "Heechul, full steam to Cygnus A."

"As you command, Captain."

 

∞

 

They arrive on Cygnus A slightly ahead of schedule and as soon as they land, Zitao pipes up. "Ge, since we're early we should take the day off and do something fun." 

Zhou Mi is eager to track down the Twins and confiscate the Messier DSO, but interestingly Zitao finds support in Kyuhyun. Zitao has been civil to Kyuhyun, but they're not exactly friendly, and Zhou Mi knows that he hasn't really let go of his initial mistrust. 

"I agree," Kyuhyun says. "It's just one day. We've been travelling for a while, and it would be nice to get some fresh air and sunshine."

Zhou Mi knows that they should take advantage of the extra time and use it productively by looking for the Twins. But Zitao and Sehun are giving Zhou Mi their best puppy dog expression, and Zhou Mi can feel himself weakening. It's so hard for him to say no to them, particularly when they look at him so sadly. 

"Okay, okay. Day off. Let's go have some fun!"

Cygnus A has a lot of natural resources, and its capital city has a well known and large market in the centre. They head towards the market, with Zitao and Sehun cajoling Zhou Mi into buying them all ridiculously sweet iced drinks on the way there. 

When they reach the market, Zitao and Sehun make a beeline to a hair decorations stall. 

"Should we get our hair coloured?" Zitao asks his brother. The stall holds a collection of various decorations, but Zitao seems most interested in the hair chalk. "What about purple?" 

Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun watch as the younger boys have bright colours chalked into their hair. Zitao chooses to have stripes of purple and red in the bulk of his hair, with his fringe coloured an electric blue. Sehun can't decide and ends up with a rainbow of multi coloured streaks. 

They look ridiculous, but are very pleased with themselves, preening and laughing at one another. Zhou Mi gives Kyuhyun an encouraging nudge. 

"Oh no, no," Kyuhyun replies, patting at his hair and backing away a little. "I'm happy with mine the way it is."

"But it looks like a mushroom," Zhou Mi tells him, grinning. At Kyuhyun's mock outrage, he amends, "A cute mushroom. But still a mushroom." 

They keep exploring, popping in and out of various stalls, until they come to a plaza - a wide space flooded with sunshine. Zitao takes off his comms device and thrusts it into Zhou Mi's hands. "Film us, ge!" 

Sehun and Zitao start twirling in the sun as Zhou Mi records them, their faces turned up to the sky and bright smiles on their faces. Zhou Mi laughs as he watches them, their joy infectious. There's a lightness in his heart that he hasn't felt in a long time and it shows because there's a stifled gasp from beside him. 

"Mi...wow…" Kyuhyun says, trailing off, hand coming up to stroke at Zhou Mi's arm. "I've never seen you like this." 

When Jinxing are happy - truly, truly happy - they glow, their skin taking on a golden shine. And Zhou Mi hadn't realised he was doing it, but he's glowing now, sparkling in the sunshine. He can't remember the last time he shone. 

Kyuhyun is looking at his arm, eyes slightly hooded, as if he's never seen him before. "Pretty," he finally says softly, glancing up to make eye contact. "Really pretty." 

Then he leans up, pressing a kiss to Zhou Mi's lips, and Zhou Mi reacts by doing his best impression of an awkward fish. Kyuhyun laughs at his expression, but there's fondness in his eyes, and he takes Zhou Mi's hand in his for a brief moment, giving it a squeeze before letting go.

"Ge!" Zitao interrupts with a yell. "Did you record us?" 

Zhou Mi starts. He can still feel the pressure of Kyuhyun's lips on his, the warmth of his hand. He turns back to the boys. "Yes, I got you," he confirms to Zitao, absentmindedly pressing his fingers to his lips, his heart doing a steady _thump thump thump_.

They're friends, Zhou Mi lies to himself. Just friends. Nothing else.

 

∞

 

The next day, it's work work work, as Zhou Mi throws all their efforts into tracking down the Twins. 

They walk almost the entire length of the city, asking almost everyone that they come across, but the Twins seem to have disappeared.

Amber is no help, saying that they were around two days ago, but that she hasn't seen them since. 

It's devastating - Zhou Mi _needs_ that bounty. He has three months left and he hasn't even saved up half of his debt. And now they've wasted days on Cygnus A when they could've been chasing someone else. 

It's time to cut their losses and give up. They start walking back to Loach, disappointment written in the slump of Zhou Mi's shoulders. But they enter the spaceport, Zhou Mi overhears a conversation: 

".... vintage... showcase exhibition..."

And his spirits lift. Perhaps Cygnus A isn't a wasted stop after all. 

 

∞

 

There's a vintage ships exhibition on a neighbouring planet, and Zhou Mi's instincts tell him that the Twins will be there. They're ship thieves because they love spacecraft - he's sure that they won't miss it. 

They arrive on planet for day 2 of the show. The exhibition is located in a large space port, not one commonly used by visitors, and if they weren't working Zhou Mi would love to spend time exploring. The Twins aren't the only ones who love space ships - it's just that Zhou Mi doesn't steal them. 

Still, Zhou Mi does take his time during the search for the Twins, looking at the various craft they pass longingly. 

Not too long later, Zhou Mi spots them. The Twins are looking at one of the oldest models at the show. It's retro and dated, but has been beautifully restored, and painted in a matte turquoise green and grey. 

Zhou Mi clutches Kyuhyun's arm and tries to subtly gesture in the right direction. "They're over there."

Kyuhyun cranes his head and sees them. "Alright. What's the plan, hot shot?"

Plan? Zhou Mi's plan was to find the Twins and that's now been successfully completed. "Umm. I'm just going to go and talk to them."

Kyuhyun yanks him back. "And say what?"

"Ask them to come with me?"

Kyuhyun looks at him incredulously. "You're not serious. This is a joke, right? Really, what's your plan?" 

That _was_ the entirety of Zhou Mi's plan. "You don't think that's a good idea?"

Kyuhyun slaps himself in the forehead. "You're serious. Of course you are." 

"Well! Enough talking! I need to get my money." Zhou Mi trots over to the Twins, with Kyuhyun on his heels and Zitao and Sehun following. 

When they reach them, Zhou Mi greets the Twins in his most friendly tone, then turns to admire the spaceship. "Isn't this a beautiful machine?" Zhou Mi says conversationally. The Twins are friendly, and seem interested in chatting to someone who also holds a love of spacecraft. They have a brief discussion about the one they're looking at before Zhou Mi says, "Those lines remind me of the Messier DSO - that's my dream ship. I would so love to own one but they're hardly ever on the market." 

Daeryong and Soryong give each other a long look, like they're having a telepathic conversation, and then one of them says, "We might be able to help you out..."

 

∞

 

Later, when they have the Twins locked up in the spare bedroom, Zhou Mi turns to Kyuhyun, asking brightly, "Well?"

"Your plan worked, well done." 

Of course, Zhou Mi's plan only worked because he had Kyuhyun, Zitao and Sehun backing him up. The two youngest have now taken control of the Messier DSO - after Zhou Mi gave them a long, firm lecture about flying slowly and carefully and being responsible. They're now on their way to the nearest ISA outpost, with Zitao and Sehun following behind in the Messier DSO. 

"Something happened between you two," Heechul says when they have a moment alone, Kyuhyun having left the room to go check on the Twins. 

Now that the Twins have been captured and secured, Zhou Mi feels a bit awkward around Kyuhyun. What did that kiss on Cygnus A mean? Did it mean anything? It can't have meant anything. 

"What are you talking about?"

"You're acting strange around him, you're not making eye contact, your colour is grey, and your temperature is elevated." 

"Nothing happened."

"Zhou Mi, you're a terrible liar, I don't even know why you bother. Even if I wasn't an expert on reading your behaviour, I would be able to see through that lie."

"Okay, okay!" Zhou Mi lowers his voice to a whisper. "He kissed me. And I don't know what it means."

Heechul doesn't respond.

"Heechul?"

"What would it mean if you kissed him?"

"I - I don't think -"

Heechul, logical as always, says, "Why don't you just ask him." 

Zhou Mi deflates. "Because I don't want to hope for anything." Because once, he'd hoped, and he'd been _wrong_. 

"I'm sorry I can't help you. I'm just a computer." 

 

∞

 

After dropping off the Twins at the ISA outpost, Zitao and Sehun rejoin Zhou Mi on Loach. Their next stop is Memri Minor, where they have a package to drop off. 

After landing at Memri Minor's spaceport, the four of them leave the ship together, weaving through the rows of parked ships. The air on Memri Minor is thinner than on other planets, and Zhou Mi feels a little lightheaded, falling behind the others. 

He stumbles a little, reaching out an arm to brace himself. When he looks up, he's hit with a burst of recognition. 

"Heechul," he says with excitement into his comms device. "Can you bring up the information on Fei?"

Heechul brings it up on the small screen. There's a description of Fei, and a photo, but more importantly - Zhou Mi taps away at his device in excitement - there's a photo of her ship. 

Back on Loach, Zhou Mi had browsed the ISA page to see if there were any potential bounties close to Memri Minor. There was one: Fei, and he'd read her information with interest. She has a large bounty for her capture, being wanted for several crimes of aggravated burglary and assault, but Kyuhyun had shut him down when Zhou Mi showed it to him. He said that she was too dangerous to go after. 

And Zhou Mi had listened to that advice - he'd heard him loud and clear - except right now, he's positive that he's standing in front of her ship. It wouldn't hurt to check it out. 

In his excitement he forgets that the others have disappeared, and he starts to inspect the craft for clues - anything that will confirm his suspicion. He's walked a circuit around it when a female voice calls out to him.

"Who are you and why are you so interested in my ship?" she says. 

Zhou Mi takes a good look at the alien standing in front of him, thinking that she doesn't look dangerous even though she appears hostile. She's petite and resembles a fox, skin covered with light brown fur, with long wavy brown hair that hangs halfway down her back. Her pretty feline eyes are currently staring him down and even from the distance between them Zhou Mi can see the fangs that overhang her lips. 

"Are you Fei?" 

"Who wants to know?"

"I'm Zhou Mi."

"And what do you want, Zhou Mi?" As she speaks, she pulls out a gun, stepping closer. "There's no need to tell me, I know. Did you think you could capture me and trade me for the bounty? Do you want to know what happened to all the others that tried?" 

Zhou Mi is frozen to the spot as she nears. 

"Did the info on me say that I'm wanted for murder?" She's even smaller than he first though, barely reaching up his shoulder, but she's tall enough to press the barrel of her gun against his chest. "Do you think it's true? That I'm capable of killing someone?"

No matter how deeply Zhou Mi breathes, he can't seem to suck in enough oxygen. He closes his eyes, head dizzy, wondering if this is the end. 

"I don't know if you're capable of killing someone, but I'm capable of killing you," he hears Kyuhyun's voice say. Zhou Mi opens his eyes and sees Kyuhyun pressing a gun against the back of Fei's head. He's _livid_ , muscles tense and expression so harsh that Zhou Mi barely recognises the man he's come to know. 

Fei smirks, releasing her weapon and holding her hands up in surrender. "It's your lucky day, pretty little Jinxing," she tells Zhou Mi. "Good thing you have a guard dog."

Kyuhyun cuffs her hands behind her back, shoving her in the back to get her to start walking. "Shut up." There's a tension in his eyes, a tightness in his shoulders, that Zhou Mi doesn't understand, but it keeps him quiet as effectively as if the 'shut up' had been directed at him. 

 

∞

 

Zhou Mi follows behind as Kyuhyun forces Fei to on board Loach, taking her to the spare room that they kept the Twins in. 

When Zhou Mi asks if he needs help, he receives a terse "no", and something in the way Kyuhyun won't look at him makes him feel that he's the one Kyuhyun is angry at. Zhou Mi heads to the cockpit. He doesn't understand why Kyuhyun is so upset with him, and he's still feeling a little lightheaded from the lack of oxygen on Memri Minor. 

As Zhou Mi slumps into his chair, Zitao comes running through the doors, panting as if he'd sprinted the entire way back. 

"Ge! Heechul told me what happened. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Zhou Mi reaches up to give his brother a tight hug. He's still feeling a bit shaken up from Fei, and confused about Kyuhyun, and the contact settles him a little. "Thankfully Kyuhyun was there."

Zitao scowls at that and Zhou Mi doesn't understand why. It's another thing that he doesn't understand. 

"He saved me," Zhou Mi tells him patiently.

"But," Zitao cries in frustration. "Why does he have a gun, ge? Who is he? You don't even really know him!"

And maybe Zhou Mi wonders about that too, but if Kyuhyun hadn't had that gun, Zhou Mi might be dead right now. He pushes his suspicions away. From the very beginning, Kyuhyun had helped him. Kyuhyun had _saved_ him. "I trust him."

Zitao's eyes flash with anger. "You trust everyone - you'll trust someone right up to the point where they stab you in the back. You trusted Calvin and he was the one who - it's your fault! It's your fault that Ma's gone!" 

Zhou Mi flinches at that, as if Zitao had struck him. Sehun hears the last part of their conversation as he enters the room, and he yells at Zitao. "Zitao. Enough! Apologise!"

But he's right, isn't he? He doesn't need to apologise. It's Zhou Mi's fault that their mother is gone. 

As soon as Zitao said those awful words, all the fight and anger left him. "I'm sorry…" Zitao says contritely, eyes pleading. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

Zhou Mi shakes him off and leaves the room.

When he enters his bedroom, Kyuhyun is sitting on his bed waiting for him. That tightness in his shoulders is still there, hands curled tightly into fists in his lap. 

"I suppose you heard that," Zhou Mi says with a sigh. And then, softly as he sits on to the bed next to him, taking care to leave space, "Are you angry at me too?"

"Oh." Kyuhyun slumps a little as Zhou Mi tries to make himself as small as possible. "Mi, I'm - I'm not angry at you. I was afraid, and - dammit, I'm sorry. Hey, come here." He drags Zhou Mi closer, until he can wind his arm around him. "I'm sorry." 

"No, I'm sorry. Everything's always my fault." And Zhou Mi had intended to leave it there, but then he opens his mouth and _everything_ comes tumbling out.

 

∞

 

_"When I grow up, Ma," a tiny Zhou Mi says brightly through the vidchat, "I'm going to be just like you! I'm going to have my own ship and my own crew and we're going to travel the universe. Every single corner!"_

_Zhou Mi thought that she'd be pleased at his statement, but instead his mother replies furiously, "You won't be like me, you understand?" Even through the small screen he can see how angry she is, her eyes flashing a dark red, and he shrinks back. "You'll be better than me," she amends, taking a deep breath. "You'll be legitimate, okay? I don't want you being me."_

_And Zhou Mi may have only been five, and he doesn't really know what legitimate means, but he still nods, wanting to make his mother proud. "Okay, Ma."_

 

∞

 

_Zhou Mi tugs hard on his grandmother's hand, hard enough for her to release her grip, and he goes racing towards the spacecraft that's just landed._

_"Mi! Mi!" she shouts, but he's gone, legs covering the ground quickly until he's at the door. When his mother disembarks, he throws himself at her._

_"Hey, careful, careful," she tells him, wrapping her arms around him. "You've grown so much," she says proudly, stroking the hair out of his eyes. "Look at how long your legs are now."_

_She's different from the last time he saw her too - belly large and distended. She takes Zhou Mi's hand and places it on her stomach. "Your little brother is in here. He'll be out soon."_

_Zhou Mi pouts at that. He's old enough to know that when his little brother is born, his mother will leave again._

_"You'll look after him for me, won't you?" she asks before leaning in to whisper conspiratorially, "There's no one else I trust."_

_"Yes Ma," Zhou Mi says solemnly, eyes big as he feels his brother kick in her stomach. It's real, he's going to have a little brother. "I'll look after him."_

 

∞

 

_"Gege, I'll miss you." Zitao sniffles, clinging to him and pouting. "Don't go."_

_Zhou Mi's heart feels like it's being crushed. Ever since he was tiny, all he's wanted to do was go into space - just like their mother. But leaving Zitao behind is proving to be more difficult than he thought, particularly when he's begging Zhou Mi not to leave. "I'll call you everyday," he promises. "And when you're old enough, after I buy my own ship, you can come with me."_

_"You'll take me with you?" Zitao asks, eyes shining with hope. "And Sehun too, right?"_

_Zhou Mi laughs at his brother. "What makes you think Sehun will want to come with us? Have you asked him?"_

_"He will," Zitao insists stubbornly. "He says you're his brother too. We can both come, right?"_

_"Of course. After you both finish school."_

_Zitao frowns, kicking at the dirt. He's still so childish - Zhou Mi hopes that he'll never lose it - that it makes Zhou Mi smile. "That's ages away," he complains._

_"It's only seven years. It'll go by in a flash, I promise."_

 

∞

 

_Zhou Mi dips the rag into his bucket of water, wrings it out, and buffs the side of his new craft lovingly. It's a pointless exercise - as soon as the ship leaves Jinxing's atmosphere she'll no longer be shiny - but he wants her to look her best when Zitao and his mother arrive._

_Loach isn't like his mother's ship - hers is elegant and quick - and even though Zhou Mi's new craft is secondhand and somewhat bulky, Zhou Mi is already in love. After years of hard work, doing odd jobs on various vessels, after painstakingly saving every spare galek, he can finally say he owns his own ship._

_He's giddy with happiness. His own ship. Tomorrow he's going to have an AI installed and then he'll be able to fly her. He smiles happily and keeps buffing._

 

∞

 

_"You don't need to worry about me, remember?" Zhou Mi says fondly. He's vidchatting with Zitao again - it's been months since he was last on planet - and even through the screen he can tell Zitao has grown. He's starting to lose his childish features, the fat on his cheeks gradually disappearing, and soon he'll be as tall, if not taller, than Zhou Mi._

_He can see Sehun in the background. Sehun gives him a lazy wave and goes back to his reading. Suddenly Zhou Mi misses them both so fiercely that it aches._

_He always does his best not to show it, the loneliness, but Zitao has always been attuned to Zhou Mi's feelings. Zhou Mi loves space, loves it so much, but its vastness, while thrilling, is also melancholy._

_"I'm fine," Zhou Mi tells his brother again. "Don't worry about me. Tell me what you've both been doing."_

 

∞

 

_"You met someone?" There's an unasked "how"? in the silence that follows as Zitao processes the news._

_Zhou Mi is sure it was due to fate. Just when Zhou Mi didn't think he could take the loneliness any more, he'd come across Calvin by accident. Imagine that - the huge distances of deep space - and Zhou Mi happens to pass by a broken ship._

_And Calvin is - Zhou Mi tries to hide his smile. He's wonderful. Smart, funny, handsome._

_"Next trip," Zhou Mi promises,"We'll come and see you. Maybe we can convince Ma to come on planet so she can meet him too." Calvin always asks about his mother, about Zitao, and Zhou Mi can't wait to introduce them._

_"Are you sure? You want to introduce him to Ma?" Zitao is being apprehensive, he knows. With her line of work, they've always had to be careful about what they say about her._

_Zhou Mi is sure. "I trust him," he says reassuringly. Actually, he thinks he might love him, but he keeps that part to himself._

 

∞

 

_Zhou Mi finds the note later._

_After he'd discovered the emergency pod missing._

_After he'd received a frantic call from Zitao telling him that their mother had been arrested._

_He holds the small note in his hand, and even though it's only two words it's shaking so hard he can barely read it._

_It says: I'm sorry._

_Zhou Mi never sees Calvin again._

 

∞

 

_"Don't do it," Heechul warns._

_"What other option is there?" Zhou Mi cries in frustration. "I know this is a bad idea, but how else am I meant to afford a lawyer?"_

_All of his mother's assets had been confiscated upon her arrest, and Zhou Mi can't see any other choice. "Call him for me, Heechul. That's an order."_

_There's silence and then Urk appears on the screen. "I hear you're after a loan," he says, and his eyes are gleaming with anticipation. "How much do you need?"_

 

∞

 

_The last time Zhou Mi sees his mother, he does his best not to break down. She holds his hand and smiles at him, and she's so, so brave, so he tries to hold all his tears inside._

_She tells him how proud she is of him and how much she loves him._

_And all he wants to do is say, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," because he led them there, it's his fault that she's sitting in this cell, and despite EVERYTHING, the best lawyers that he could hire, it's all over._

_She tells him that she doesn't blame him, that it could have happened at any time in her life, that's she's ready for it, this was the risk she's always taken._

_But this happened because of him and it doesn't matter if she doesn't blame him, he'll never be able to stop blaming himself._

_Zhou Mi never sees her again._

 

∞

 

After Zhou Mi finishes speaking, he lifts a hand to his cheek, finding it wet. He doesn't remember crying. He hadn't realised that he had any more tears left to shed. 

Kyuhyun has his other hand wrapped in his, looking like he's at a loss at what to say.

"I'm sorry," he finally says. And then, like he's struggling with something, "I have something I want to -"

Kyuhyun doesn't manage to finish his sentence when they're interrupted by a knock. They both look up as the door slides open and Sehun pokes his head in. 

"Can I talk to you?" he says to Zhou Mi. "Privately?"

"Sure," Zhou Mi replies, wiping his face on the back of his sleeve. "You don't mind, do you, Kyuhyun?" 

Kyuhyun looks like he wants to say something, but he just nods and leaves them alone. Sehun takes his place next to Zhou Mi on the bed. 

"Zitao is dumb. You know how he is," Sehun tells him. 

Zhou Mi knows better than anyone. His brother is impulsive, with a short temper, and he lashes out when he's hurt or scared. It doesn't mean that he doesn't care, he just cares too much. 

"You don't need to apologise for him, Sehun. It's okay." 

Sehun scoffs. "As if I'd make apologies for him. I've already scolded him." 

That makes Zhou Mi smile. 

"I just - don't do anything stupid, okay? We're family, right? I know we - both Zitao and I - have always relied on you, but you can rely on us too. We're not children anymore. Well," he amends quickly, "I'm not. I can't say the same for your brother." 

Sehun plays at the hem of his shirt, suddenly awkward, before peering at Zhou Mi through his bangs. "I see the way you look at him." 

He's referring to Kyuhyun and it makes Zhou Mi's heart stutter. If Sehun can see it, he must be so obvious. 

"It doesn't matter," Zhou Mi quickly says. "It doesn't matter how I look at him. He doesn't feel the same, so it doesn't matter." 

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Sehun tells him in response and he picks up Zhou Mi's hand, the one with the missing finger, and holds it gently. "I see the way he looks at you too."

 

∞

 

When Zhou Mi feels particularly down, when he misses his mother a lot, he pulls out his Luarnite. But he does it secretly, only when Kyuhyun isn't in the room. After the events of Fei's capture, he needs to hold it more than ever. 

He thinks he has a moment to himself, and has the Luarnite in his hands when Kyuhyun walks in unexpectedly. He quickly shoves it behind his back, even though he knows Kyuhyun has seen it. 

"What's that?" Kyuhyun asks, trying to peer around him to see what he's hiding. 

"Nothing."

Kyuhyun raises an eyebrow at his obvious lie and pounces on him, tackling him to the bed as Zhou Mi yelps in protest. Kyuhyun wrestles the object out of Zhou Mi's hands and looks at it disbelievingly.

"Mi… where did you get this from?" Kyuhyun has it in the palm of his hand, examining it closely. The Luarnite is a smooth, heavy stone about the size of a small pebble. The gem is a deep, rich black, slightly translucent, its depths flashing pink and purple. "Is this real? Do you know how much this is worth?" 

Zhou Mi snatches it back. "Of course I know. It's more than valuable, it's priceless." He cradles it carefully, lovingly, in his hands. "My mother gave it to me. It's the only thing I have left from her." 

He holds the gem up to the light, before placing it back into Kyuhyun's hands, closing his fingers around it. "Feel it." 

Luarnites are exceptionally rare and incredibly valuable, only mined from one asteroid belt in a distant spiral galaxy. But they're not highly prized just because they're rare and beautiful - they have a peculiar property that no other mineral possesses: they can be infused with love. Zhou Mi covers Kyuhyun's hands with his, and even through Kyuhyun's skin he can feel the waves of love flowing through from the stone. He sighs deeply, the unconditional love transferred from his mother, warming his soul. 

"Mi, if you sold this… you'd have enough to pay off your debt. And more." 

Zhou Mi shakes his head stubbornly, taking it back from Kyuhyun. "You felt it. How can I sell it?"

Kyuhyun watches him tuck it away in its box, covering it carefully with a cloth to protect it. "What are you going to do?"

Zhou Mi has no idea. Even with the money they'll earn with Fei's capture, it's still not enough to pay Urk. "I don't know." He smiles at Kyuhyun, trying to be positive. "I'll think of something." 

"Geez, Mi, you're… unbelievable," Kyuhyun says softly, almost to himself. And then he says more loudly, "Heechul, stop listening." 

Kyuhyun waits. "Is he gone?"

"Yes, but -"

Kyuhyun cuts Zhou Mi off with a soft kiss. "Is this okay?" 

He's so pretty, eyes dark and big, and maybe it's the effect of the Luarnite still coursing through him, but Zhou Mi says yes even though he doesn't think it's a good idea. 

And Kyuhyun kisses him again, kisses him until he's flushed a pretty pink and kissing back eagerly, and maybe it wasn't due to the stone after all. 

 

∞

 

They're cuddled together on Zhou Mi's bed, Zhou Mi facing the wall and Kyuhyun pressed to his back. Kyuhyun's arm is looped loosely around Zhou Mi's waist, playing idly with his fingers. 

"Can I ask what happened to your little finger?" He touches the stump gently, long since healed over and bandage free, and in Zhou Mi's mind, the ghost of that finger twitches. 

"Urk took it."

"Oh. I'm sorry." 

"Well," Zhou Mi laughs a little self-deprecatingly. "I do owe him a lot of money. I'm grateful it was only my little finger."

"You're really something else, Mi. You're not what I expected you to be." 

Zhou Mi twists to face him. "I don't know what you mean by that." 

"Nothing. Don't worry." Kyuhyun gives him a light kiss and pulls him closer. "Hey, after we drop off Fei, can we head back to Earth? I have something I need to do." His tone is casual, but Zhou Mi knows him well enough by now to know that there's something bothering him. 

Zhou Mi bites his lip, worried. "Okay. Of course. Is there anything I can help with?"

"No, no. Just something I need to do." 

"Okay," Zhou Mi agrees. "Kyu? You know you can trust me, right? If something is bothering you?"

Something flashes in Kyuhyun's eyes but he gives Zhou Mi a smile. "Of course. I know." 

  
∞

 

"Hah hah. Hah hah hah," Heechul intones dryly.

"Shut up," Kyuhyun hisses at the AI, face red as he lies splayed chest down on the floor. 

Zhou Mi's head appears next to his, chin propped on his shoulder blade, grinning. "I've improved!" And then, with a bit of concern, hands around Kyuhyun's waist, "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you , did I?"

It's only taken several months, but finally Zhou Mi has managed to defend himself and take Kyuhyun down without cheating. 

"Anyway, love birds -"

"Shut up, Heechul," Kyuhyun snaps.

"I'm just interrupting to tell you both that BamBam has called. He's talking to Zitao at the moment."

Zhou Mi perks up. They speak to BamBam every couple of weeks, and Zhou Mi always looks forward to their vidchats. He leaves Kyuhyun sprawled on the floor, after he insists he's fine, and hurries to the cockpit, where he can see BamBam on the main screen. He's chatting to Zitao, and it sounds like they're talking about the Messier DSO. 

Zhou Mi waves brightly at BamBam. "Hi! Guess what?" Zhou Mi asks, as he slides into the captain's chair that Zitao has temporarily commandeered, forcing his brother to move over so they can share. "We're coming back to Earth for a visit!" 

Zhou Mi can see Zitao frown in the corner of his vision, and he feels slightly guilty - he hadn't told Zitao about their change of plans. Zhou Mi has been trying to be discreet about his newly blossoming relationship with Kyuhyun, although he's sure that Sehun and Zitao suspect. Zhou Mi is not very good at hiding his feelings, and he knows that he's been wandering around the ship glowing with happiness. 

"Are you coming to see me? Have you got presents for me?" BamBam says with excitement.

Zhou Mi confirms that they'll visit him and then they catch up on the latest news - Zhou Mi tells him about the Twins, and briefly skims over Fei's capture. BamBam tells them about a girl at school that he has a crush on, and how his classes are going. 

After the call, Zitao prods him in the ribs. "You didn't tell me about Earth. Or about - you know." He's frowning again, lip jutting out in a little pout, as he leans his head on Zhou Mi's shoulder. 

"Sorry, I'm -" Zhou Mi just wanted to keep it to himself for a while longer. He knows that Zitao doesn't approve. His brother wants to see him happy, but he also doesn't believe that anyone is good enough for him. And with what happened with Calvin, he's overprotective.

But it's not the same this time. Kyuhyun and Calvin aren't the same. 

With Calvin, while it had been real, on Zhou Mi's side at least, there was part of it that came from his loneliness. He let himself be fooled into believing that they had a relationship, that they were equals. He saw what he wanted to see. 

But Kyuhyun is different. Zhou Mi isn't fooling himself. He held himself back this time, afraid to be hurt, afraid to hope, but Kyuhyun came to _him_. Kyuhyun is outwardly tough, sharp and sarcastic, but he's also sweet. He's endlessly patient and affectionate, and it just feels right with him. 

Zhou Mi feels light with Kyuhyun, so light that he could float away. 

"You're happy," Zitao says with a sigh, resigned. 

"I'm happy," Zhou Mi confirms. 

"Then I'm happy for you." Zitao gives him a little smile. "But he better be good to you, or I'm going to kill him," he threatens. 

Zhou Mi hugs him tightly, relieved that his brother finally approves. "You won't have to." 

 

∞

 

A week's travel later, they reach an ISA outpost. 

Like other ISA outposts, this one is located in an libration point in between two large masses, allowing the large spacecraft to park in deep space. This particular one is home to over 10,000 lifeforms of various species, and has jail facilities for pre-processing. The craft is constructed as a massive hexagon, with long arms extending out from each side. 

The whole time Fei has been on board, Kyuhyun hasn't let Zhou Mi near her. He tells him that she's too dangerous, and he won't risk him getting hurt. Zhou Mi has abided by his wishes, but when Kyuhyun insists that he can do the transfer with ISA himself, Zhou Mi won't have any of it. They'll do this together, or they won't do it at all. 

It's their first fight. 

Kyuhyun growls at him, but Zhou Mi won't give in on this matter, and Kyuhyun concedes. 

They radio ahead as they near, stating their business to the ISA operator and are given clearance to land. 

Several of the arms are used as runways, and Loach lands on one of them, rolling forward into the entry that's been opened for them. Once safely landed, Kyuhyun disappears into Fei's room while Zhou Mi disembarks with Zitao and Sehun. 

Kyuhyun appears not long after, marching Fei off the ship, hands cuffed in front of her and a gag stuffed in her mouth. 

"Kyuhyun," Zhou Mi chides, as they near. "You didn't have to gag her." He reaches over, removing the gag from her mouth. 

Fei spits at him. 

"See," Kyuhyun grumbles. "The gag is better." He starts to put it back in, but Zhou Mi stops him. 

"It's okay. I just won't get too close. Let's go." There's a short walk from where they're parked to the main entrance. 

"Zhou Miiii…" Fei says in a sickly sweet tone as Kyuhyun nudges her to start her walking. "Haven't you wondered why Kyuhyun hasn't let you near me? It's because I know things."

"Shut up," Kyuhyun hisses. 

She ignores him. "Zhou Mi, Zhou Mi. Your Kyuhyun is a liar," she sings. "I know what he is, he's a liar, he's been lying to you." 

Kyuhyun shoves her, telling her to shut up again, and again she ignores him. 

"He told you that he's an Earthling, right, Zhou Mimi? He's not though, he's been lying to you. He's a liar." 

Finally Zhou Mi responds, while Zitao and Sehun look on curiously. "You're the liar. I'm not listening to you." 

She laughs. "Oh but I'm not lying about this. See for yourself." She grabs a hold of Kyuhyun's arm, racking her nails sharply down his skin. 

"Holy shit." Zitao grabs a hold of Kyuhyun's wrist when he sees the evidence, resisting Kyuhyun's attempts to pry him off. "Ge." 

Blood rises up in the rivets that Fei had scored, blood tinged powder blue. Blood that makes it clear that Kyuhyun isn't an Earthling. 

"Mi, wait, it's not what you think, I'm half -" Kyuhyun says quickly, reaching for him. Zitao knocks him away before he can touch Zhou Mi, stepping in between them as a barrier. 

"Who are you?" Zitao demands. "Who are you really?" 

"I'm-"

Fei speaks up, her tone sweeter than sugar and a smug smile on her face. "He's part of Intergalax, aren't you Kyuhyun?"

"No." Zhou Mi doesn't realise it's slipped out until the word echoes in the chamber around them. _No._

"Are you?" Zitao spits at Kyuhyun, who ignores him, just looking at Zhou Mi pleadingly. 

Zhou Mi swallows hard. "I'm sure… I'm sure there's a good explanation. Right, Kyuhyun? Tell me there's a good explanation." _Tell me you haven't been lying to me. Tell me you're not part of the agency that sentenced my mother to death. Tell me you haven't been using me._

"Mi, I swear, when we first met, I didn't know who you were. I swear it."

 _He knew._ Pain flashes through Zhou Mi, so strong that it almost knocks him off his feet. _No, no, no, no, no._

He doesn't know why he's surprised. Of course Kyuhyun has been lying to him. Why would he expect any differently? Why would someone like Kyuhyun actually care about him? Zhou Mi is a fool, and it's been proven yet again. 

"Zitao will take you back to the ship to collect your things," he says slowly. "I'm sure you can get a ride back to - wherever you're from."

"Mi, wait-"

"Goodbye, Kyuhyun," Zhou Mi says sadly. "I hope you found what you were looking for."

 

∞

 

Even with the money from Fei's bounty, Zhou Mi doesn't have enough to pay Urk. He has two weeks left, and - he can't summon up the energy to care anymore. 

They leave ISA behind. They leave Kyuhyun behind. 

It also turns out they leave Zhou Mi's Luarnite behind too, because when he goes to look for it - it's gone. 

Of course it's gone. Zhou Mi let himself be fooled - again - and this time he really has been left with nothing. 

 

∞

 

"Zhou Mi, you have to get up," Heechul says.

"No."

"What are you going to do? Let yourself waste away? What would happen to Zitao and Sehun if that happened?"

"They'd be better off without me."

"Zhou Mi. GET UP."

Heechul never yells. Heechul is a computer with no emotion, he doesn't have the capacity to yell. But he's yelling at him. 

Zhou Mi covers his head with his arms and ignores him. 

 

∞

 

"Please eat something," Zitao pleads, bowl in his hands that he tries to make Zhou Mi accept. 

"I don't want to,' Zhou Mi says woodenly, eyes fixed on the wall as he lies curled up in bed. 

"Gege, please," Zitao says. He pleads and pleads but Zhou Mi ignores him, letting his words wash over him.

 

∞

 

"Zhou Mi. Zhou Mi. Zhou Mi. ZHOU MI." 

"Shut up, Heechul!" Zhou Mi finally snaps. 

"Urk is calling." 

"No."

"ZHOU MI. If he thinks you've taken off, who do you think he's going to come after? He'll go straight for Zitao and Sehun. You have to talk to him." 

Zhou Mi sits up, rubbing his eyes, finally relenting. "Fine."

"Putting him through to the screen in your room."

Zhou Mi faces the screen on the wall as Urk's face comes into view. 

"Well, well, Xiao Mi. I didn't think you had it in you. Congratulations. You've surprised me."

"What?" 

"You know, I was looking forward to taking you apart piece by piece, but a deal is a deal. How did you manage to raise all that money in time?" 

"I don't - what?" Zhou Mi doesn't understand what Urk is saying. He can comprehend the words but the meaning is gibberish. 

But before he can say anything else, Heechul interrupts. "Thanks for calling. Is there anything else?"

Urk shakes his head. "Call me if you ever need anything else, Xiao Mi. I have a soft spot for Jinxing. You're always so pretty when I cut your kind open." 

Zhou Mi's stomach involuntarily heaves, and Heechul kills the call before Urk can say anything further. 

Zhou Mi is confused. He says to Heechul, "Did he say the debt is paid? But? I didn't?" 

After he takes some time to think about it, he realises that it must've been Kyuhyun. He's the only one not on this ship who knew about the debt. But - he took the Luarnite. Did he sell it to pay Urk?

"Maybe he thought he was doing you a favour," Heechul says. "Maybe it's his form of an apology." 

But that doesn't make any sense, not at all. And Zhou Mi doesn't want to - can't - think about it any longer. He doesn't want to think about anything. 

He crawls back into bed and pulls the covers back over his head.

 

∞

 

"Ge?" Zitao calls softly as he enters his room. Zitao strokes him on the shoulder. "You have a delivery." 

Zhou Mi doesn't bother rolling over, and stares vacantly at the wall. "I have a delivery?" he croaks, voice hoarse with misuse. 

"Yeah. We need you to verify it. Will you come out?" 

Zhou Mi curls up tighter and ignores the question.

"Please?" It's so soft that Zhou Mi barely hears it. But he's never - even with everything that happened with their mother - heard Zitao sound so defeated. 

He forces himself to get up, staggering a little, dizzy from the lack of food. He walks out to find a delivery robot outside his room. 

"Zhou Mi?"

"That's me," he states, pressing his thumb to the screen on the robot's chest. There's a beep and a door opens in the robot's middle, revealing a small package. 

He carries the box back into his room, walking past and ignoring Zitao despite the fact that his brother looks small and worried. When the door closes, Zhou Mi sits cross legged on the bed and inspects the package. It's a nondescript box, with nothing on the outside to give any clues to the contents. 

He presses the button on top and the lid springs open, revealing two wrapped objects nestled inside. Zhou Mi pulls out the first object and unwraps it to find a small metallic object with a button. 

When he pushes the button it activates a hologram, creating an image of Kyuhyun's face. Despite himself, Zhou Mi leans closer, curious. 

The recording of Kyuhyun starts to speak:

"Mi, hi. I have something I need to tell you and I'm begging you - please listen to all of this before you do anything. Don't shut me off, please. 

"I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied. I _am_ a part of Intergalax. Well, I was. When we first met, I had no idea who you were - that part wasn't a lie. And I did miss my flight back to Earth that day. When I found out you were headed that way it seemed like a good opportunity to get back. I swear it was just a coincidence that we met. It was only after we arrived on Earth, after I checked in at Intergalax, that I learned who you were - who your mother was. Is.

"After I found out, my superiors sent me back to you. They weren't convinced that you were clean so… I was sent to spy on you. I thought it would be an easy job. That I could just hang out for a bit, get some intel, but then I got to know you and…" Kyuhyun's hologram paused, before shaking his head ruefully. 

"You weren't what I expected, not at all. How could the son of one of the most famous smugglers in the universe be so... sincere? So softhearted and genuine... 

"I wanted to tell you the truth - I almost did once - but the longer time went on, the more I felt for you, the harder it was. In the end I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt you. I thought - I thought I'd just quit. I'd quit the agency when we returned to Earth, and you'd never have to know." 

There's a small pause and then Kyuhyun asks, "Hey, have you opened the other object yet? If you haven't, can you do that for me?" 

At those words, Zhou Mi pulls out the other object, unwrapping it to reveal his Luarnite. Zhou Mi's heart is pounding, thumping so hard he can barely hear Kyuhyun's recording anymore. He holds his stone in his palm, wrapping his fingers tightly around it, and as expected, the familiar feeling of his mother's love starts to flow through him. But it's different now. There's a new layer on top of it, silky sweet and gentle. 

It's real. Zhou Mi isn't a fool. It was real.

The recording continues, "I've quit Intergalax. I had some money saved and I've paid off your debt. I hope you didn't think I sold your Luarnite to do so - I just needed to borrow it so you'd know that I'm telling you the truth this time." 

The hologram fizzles a little before clearing. "And Zhou Mi? This is the truth. My name is Cho Kyuhyun and I'm in love with you.

"Someone once told me that an infinite universe has infinite possibilities. I hope that in one of those possibilities we meet again." 

With a hiss, the recording finally ends, and Kyuhyun's image disappears. Zhou Mi clutches his Luarnite in a fist, the colours of love playing along his skin and flashing through his irises. 

"Heechul?"

"Yes?"

"Can you send Zitao and Sehun in here?" Zhou Mi feels the pressing need to apologise to them, to tell them that he loves them and that he'll never shut them out again. 

"Of course."

"Thank you Heechul. Can you do one more thing for me? Can you set a course to Earth?"

"I'm really glad you're back, Captain. I've missed you."

 

∞

 

In an infinite universe there are infinite possibilities. 

In just one of those possibilities, Zhou Mi meets Kyuhyun.

In the same possibility - or another possibility - or even perhaps, in _every single_ possibility - Zhou Mi finds Kyuhyun.


End file.
